Senior official denies closure of UN offices

According to a senior UN official source, the UN has not closed any of its offices in Yemen, however their offices in Yemen have raised the level of security in a attempt to mitigate any terrorist attacks. 

Aboudou Karim Adjibade, acting UN Resident Coordinator, said that while some UN staff had had to relocate while security enhancements were made in their offices, their work continued as usual, contrary to reports by international news agencies saying some UN offices in Yemen had closed.

“It’s a pity that this misinformation was spread, but I want to confirm that no UN office has been closed in Yemen. We never abandon any population in dire need of our assistance,” Adjibade, who is also the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative, said.

He added that following a series of terrorist attacks in Yemen, a threat analysis of UN offices was conducted and it was decided that security needed to be strengthened.

“What happened in recent days was we increased the level of precautionary measures to mitigate security threats against buildings and UN staff,” Adjibade said.
 
In the wake of these incidents, it has emerged that the UN has been singled out as a target for future attacks, according to Adjibade. 

“We hear now that there are terrorist groups which are specifically targeting the UN. That was not the case before,” he said. “If you go to the websites of terrorist groups, you will see the UN being treated as an enemy of Islam. That has become a new paradigm. We have to cooperate by raising the security alert among us and protecting our buildings,” he said. 

The UN agencies working in Yemen include United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), World Food Programme (WFP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, World Health Organisation (WHO), and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Related Content

•  Four al-Huthi members sentenced to death
•  Somalis refugees shift route to the red sea
•  Yemen, Syria confirm support for security and stability in the region
•  Defense presents arguments in French smuggling case
•  Yemeni artifacts redline
•  Sa’adah conflict displaces 50,000, detainees ill-treated
•  Many nominees filed for governors’ elections, including women
•  Two kidnapped Japanese tourists set free
•  Tribal mediation starts to free Japanese tourists kidnapped in Mareb
•  Mediation committee back in Sa’adah